Jones: Japan want 'the sky to fall in' at Twickenham

Eddie Jones said Japan want 'the sky to fall in' at Twickenham as they aim to unsettle England in their Nations Championship match on Saturday, 14 November, speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live. He said the Brave Blossoms are attempting to heap pressure on England head coach Steve Borthwick with a landmark victory.

Jones, the 66-year-old Australian who was sacked by England in December 2022 after a 27-13 Twickenham defeat by South Africa and jeers from the home fans, said he hopes to cause similar unrest on his return to Allianz Stadium this weekend. Jones and Borthwick have worked together with Japan and England in the past, and he pointed to Italy's breakthrough win over England in March as inspiration for Japan's approach.

"We're massive underdogs," Jones told BBC Radio 5 Live. "We've got to find a way to disrupt an England side that's looking at New Zealand next week [England play the All Blacks on 21 November] and sometimes may be a little bit distracted. "Our opportunity is to get in there, cause some havoc, cause some chaos, put off their game, get the crowd booing. Then the sky starts to come in on Twickenham and you never know what can happen. "We've seen it happen with Italy and other countries."

Japan have lost all six of their previous Test meetings with England, most recently going down 54-19 on their autumn visit two years ago. During Borthwick's reign England have also suffered maiden defeats to other nations: Italy won for the first time in 33 attempts earlier this year and Fiji recorded a 30-22 success in 2023.

Jones warned that external pressure can affect England's players and leadership. "The noise does get to the team and it can be pretty loud in England," he said. "You've got a lot of newspapers, a lot of media, probably more than any other country in the world. Sometimes that can weigh down on the players and it's the job of the leadership to get the players thinking straight. "Steve's an outstanding coach and a very intelligent man, and a really good coach. So I've got the highest respect for him."

England arrived at the weekend under renewed scrutiny after a run of five successive defeats earlier this year and reports of a rift between players and coaches, but Borthwick's squad insisted they were united and produced a 45-22 victory over Australia to vindicate their coach. That win came ahead of Sunday's fixture involving Australian opposition and the upcoming clash with New Zealand on 21 November.

England back row Henry Pollock scored two tries after replacing the injured Immanuel Feyi-Waboso at half-time against Australia and has been tipped to make only his second start for his country on Saturday. Pollock also scored a hat-trick off the bench against Fiji in July and is averaging a try every 22 minutes in the Nations Championship. "I wouldn't look too much into it," Jones said of Pollock's two scores against Australia. "Everyone was licking the ice cream on Sunday. They were on the front foot, everyone's lining up to run the ball, there's no pressure in the game. "He's a fast back rower, he got the ball in space and he's a talented player, you know, there's no doubt about it, but you couldn't read into it any more than that."

Jones is without his own young fly-half Ryunosuke Ito, who was plucked from university rugby and made his debut against Italy in July without having ever played a professional match, and who scored a solo try against Australia in August. Ito's Test career has been stalled while he completes his obligations to his university team; the 21-year-old fourth-year student, established as Jones' first-choice fly-half, is required by Meiji University for a collegiate competition and is missing the northern hemisphere leg of Japan's Nations Championship campaign. Ito will join top-flight Tokyo side Suntory Sungoliath next season, a squad that includes Sam Cane and James Lowe. "That's the uniqueness of Japanese rugby," added Jones.

The Japan v England match is scheduled for Saturday 14 November, 16:40 GMT, and will be broadcast live on BBC Radio 5 Live, the BBC Sport website and app.